Monday, July 9, 2012

7/9/12 Report - Mystery Object & Another Fake Cob Find

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

My 7/7 posts showed up a day late because of a mistake I made. Sorry about that. It was supposed to be posted early Saturday. Instead it didn't post until very early Sunday.

James F., who found the old bronze strap and ring that I showed a week or so ago, sent in the photo of this mystery object. The object was actually found by Rob W. They first thought it might be a plumb-bob, but experts in that field say it isn't.

They very effectively used photo editing software to bring out what was embossed on the object. That revealed the word "BARRACUDA." You might be able to see where that is embossed on the object in one of the photos.

That is a good tip. Image processing software can be very useful in bringing out hard to see details for identifying an item.

You probably can't tell from the photo, but the object has a hole that runs through it lengthwise.

Can you identify this item for Rob? Please let me know if you can.
Florida Fishing Tackle Mfg. Co. of St. Petersburg, FL made the Barracuda brand fishing lures and other fishing equipment from the 1920s through the 1970s. I don't know if the mystery object is related to fishing, but it is a possibility.

As a side note, keep your eyes open for collectible fishing lures while you detect. Old fishing lures and equipment can be very collectible. I've found a large collection of lures myself, including some old wood lures. The early Barracuda lures with glass eyes are rare.

When tropical storm Debby was over in the Gulf, I mentioned that they were having erosion over there. Subsequently I have received reports of some older things popping up over there.

Medicine.man sent in photos of a couple of finds from the Gulf Coast. One is a fake cob.

I always show photos of fake cobs. It can be a big disappointment to find a fake cob, especially when you first dig it up and at first glance think you got the real thing.

This one is clearly marked "COPY" at the bottom of the coin in the photo. Fake coins are supposed to be marked like that, but often the mark is intentionally small and obscure or gets worn off. Some fakes are convincing and others not.

People often wonder why there are fakes like this on the beach. One poll that I did in this blog, showed that you were about as likely to find a fake as a genuine cob. They are not rare finds on the beaches.

Fake Cob Found on Gulf Coast.

I don't know why there are so many. I suspect some are intentionally placed on the beach as a prank or game, but I don't know that. I suppose they are often simply lost just like everything else you find on a beach.

Medicine.man also found a WWII era machine gun shell. I've shown similar shells from the Treasure Coast and South Florida beaches. I think they are found all along the Florida coastline - certainly almost everywhere I've been.

I once posted information that a reader sent in on how to read the marks on such shells. If you want to see that post, use the blog search box.

My hit counter says that this blog blew right through the 400,000 mark sometime Sunday.

It seems that "Happy Hunting" has become a standard greeting in the treasure hunting community.

Treasure Coast Beach Conditions and Report

According to the predictions, it looks like we'll have one to two foot seas for most of the week as winds continue from the south and southeast.